Flowerpot holder and stand



Jan. 16, 1940. R M c FLOWERPOT HOLDER AND STAND Filed Nov. 9, 1938Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES FLOWERPOT HOLDER AND STAND RoderickM. Koch, Evansville, Ind.

Application November 9, 1938, Serial No. 239,719

Claims.

This invention belongs to the general class of supports. Morespecifically, it pertains to that type of supports known as flowerpotholders; but it is not intended that it be confined to that .3 I use;because it may be used in various places and for various purposes; forinstance: as a counter display rack in stores, and it is desired toprotect the invention for every purpose which may be lawfully within thescope of'the claims.

to Heretofore many flowerpot holders have been devised; but to all thatI am acquainted with there are objections; because they take up too muchspace; are not easily stored; and, for these reasons they are usuallysubjected to the highest 1.3 class of freight rates when transported,because they are so readily damaged.

My invention isso constructed as to be readily collapsed or folded intoa space not more than an inch in thickness and it may be then be storedin any space in which an ordinary board or piece of inch-thick lumbercan be accommodated and, during shipment, may be placed in an ordinaryflat shipping carton which is transported at the lowest freight rates.

' For purposes of illustration to show the best form I now know ofreducing myinvention to practice, I have filed as a part of thisspecification one sheet of drawings having six figures in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of my flowerpot holder in its expanded oroperative position;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of my flowerpot holder in collapsed orfolded condition for storage or shipping purposes and showing theauxiliary supporting base portion by dotted lines in operative position;

Fig. 3 is adetail of an individual pot holder showing a pot in section;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing how the pivoted auxiliary supporting baseportion is held in open or supporting position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing themanner of pivoting the auxiliary supporting member to the fixed baseportion; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a modification of the auxiliary basesupport wherein both ends thereof are held by the keeper.

In all the views of the drawing the individual features are designatedby letters or by figures and wherever a designating character is used itis always employed to point out the same individual feature.

My flowerpot holder consists of a main upright or standard 2 to which isrigidly fixed two scrolls A and B at points 3, 4, 5, 6, I, and 8.

I prefer to make standard 2 and scrolls A and B of resilient wire and,as illustrated, of wire having a square or rectangular cross-section;but the cross-section of the wire used is not an essential. I

Scrolls A and B are formed much like a figure 6; but while scroll A islike a figure 6 in form it is placed in an inverted position; and thesescrolls A and B face in opposite directionsso that the general formationof the two scrolls A and, B 10 taken as a whole compose the form of aletter S as shown in Fig. 1.

Upon the outwardly projecting convex portions of scrolls A and Batpoints 9, l0, and II are rigidly fixed individual pot holders 0, D,and E. 15

The connections 9, Ill, and H may be rivets, solder, welding or anyother means of uniting metal parts. v

A base member F is rigidly connected to standard 2 at point 8 and to.scroll B at points [2 and I3. I

All the connections at points 3,. 4, 5, 6, I, 8, l2, and I3 may be madeby rivets, soldering, welding, or by any other well known or desirablemanner.

The base member consists of a horizontal portion F having a curvedupstanding part 1 at each end; and the upstanding parts 1 are rigidlyconnected to scroll B at points l2 and I3.

Intermediate the upstanding portions of the base member F, asupplemental base member G is pivoted at I4.

To keep member G from binding against part F when swung upon pivot I4, Iprefer to introduce a spacing washer l5 between parts F and G, see Fig.5. If desired, part F may be upwardly 35 bent or off-set at points 16and I1, Fig. l, which 'will also help prevent binding against part Fwhen part G is swung upon pivot l4.

To hold supplemental base member G at right angles to part F and thusprovide a four point 40 support, I fasten a catch or keeper 18 toupright 2 so located that the free end g may be bent down and springupwardly into engagement with keeper [8 to retain it in supporting oroperative position.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, both ends g of the supplementalbase member G are carried upwardly to be sprung under and held by keeperl8 which may be in the form of a ring or thimble slidably mounted uponstandard 2. In this figure the necessary bending or springing movementof the ends to engage with the keeper I8 is greatly exaggerated by thedotted lines to accentuate the fact that the member G and its severalparts are composed of flexible or resilient material.

Pot holders C, D, and E are composed of strips of fiexible metal; theupper ends of each are formed into suitable hooks to take over the upperedge of a pot of suitable size, as shown in Fig. 3 and the lower end ofeach is formed as a projecting hook or shelf d.

The hook shaped portion d as shown in Fig. 3 is greatly exaggerated. Amuch flatter hook than that illustrated will answer the purposeperfectly.

In operation the auxiliary supporting member G is swung to a position atright angles to base member F and its free end is engaged with keeper l8to hold it in fixed position. The upper edge 'of a flowerpot of suitablesize is engaged under the upper hook d of holder D and the lowerprojecting hook or shelf d of the pot holder is sprung under and engagesand supports the pot by engaging its bottom. Usually the end of shelf dengages the drainage hole almost universally provided in flowerpots. Theother individual pot holders are constructed and operate exactly likethe description given of holder D.

Having fully described the construction and the the mode of operation ofmy invention 1 claim:

1. In a flowerpot support the combination of a main standard having afixed supporting member attached thereto, an auxiliary supporting memberpivoted to the fixed supporting member and means on the main standardfor holding the auxiliary supporting member in operative position.

2. The combination of a standard having a flowerpot holder attachedthereto, a supporting base member fixed to the standard, an auxiliarysupporting member pivoted to the fixed base member and a keeper forholding the auxiliary supporting member in operative position.

3. The combination of a standard, a scroll fixed to the upper part ofthe standard, a second scroll fixed to the standard below the firstscroll, a base member fixed to the lower scroll, and an auxiliary basemember pivoted to the fixed base member.

4. The combination of a standard, a scroll fixed to the upper part ofthe standard, an inverted scroll fixed to the standard below the firstscroll, a base member fixed to the lower scroll, an auxiliary basemember pivoted to the fixed base member and means to hold the auxiliarybase member in operative position.

5. The combination of a standard, a scroll fixed to the upper part ofthe standard, an inverted scroll fixed to the standard below the firstscroll, a base member fixed to the lower scroll, an auxiliary basemember pivoted to the fixed base memher, a keeper to hold the auxiliarybase member in operative position and a plurality of individualflowerpot holders on the scrolls.

RODERICK M. KOCH.

